Elevated-conveyer carriage.



C. E. YARIAN.

ELEVATED CONVEYER CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.1Z, 19H.

Patented July 31,. 1917.

CHARLES E. YARIAN, OF GALION, OHIO.

ELEVATED-CONVEYER CARRIAGE.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Application filed January 12, 1917. Serial No. 142,078.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E YARIAN, a citizen of the United States,resldlng at Gralion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevated-ConveyerCarriages; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to traveling carriages to be used in connectionwith elevated conveyers or traversing hoists, and more particularly tosuch carriages as are provided with means to automatically retain theload at a predetermined height during the course of its travel, and toautomatically cause the load to be dropped at any desired point.

The object of the invention is to provide a traveling carriage to beused in connection with an elevated carrier or traversing hoist whichwill be simple in construction and positive in its operation; that willautomatically catch the load when it is raised to a predeterminedheight, and retain it at such height throughout its period of travel;and that will automatically drop the load at any desired point.

With these and other objects in View that may more fully hereinafterappear, the invention comprises a substantial frame provided at itsupper end with a plurality of wheels suitably journaled upon. theopposite sides of the frame, said wheels designed to roll upon asuitable over-head track, means being thereby provided to permit thetravel of the carriage back and forth upon the track. At the lower endof the carriage is provided a pulley suitably journaled between theopposite sides of the carriage. The hoisting cable is preferablyfastened at one end of the bottom ofthe carriage frame; thence ledaround the pulley of the fall; thence around the pulley of the carriage,and thence to the drum of the hoisting engine.

The carriage is further provided with a plurality of cross-members, saidmembers being mounted preferably parallel to the line of centers of theabove mentioned wheels, and positioned between the wheels and thepulley. Pivotably mounted between the lower cross-members of the carrierand preferably midway between the ends thereof, is a latch provided witha pivoted lip, said lip designed to catch and retain an upright hookmember carried by the fall. The pivoted catch is operated by a system ofspring actuated levers, one of which terminates in close proximity tothe underside of the overhead track, and engages a plu rality of tripsmounted thereon, said trips being so mounted as to permit the passage ofthe carriage in one direction, but to prevent its passage in theopposite direction, owing to the engagement between the above mentionedlever end and the trips, saidengagement causing the pivoted catch torelease the fall and drop the load; it being understood that means areprovided to ma' nipulate the trips in such a manner as to cause the falland its load to drop at any desired point.

One embodiment of my invention is hereinafter fully described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out moreparticularly in the appended claims, it being fully understood that suchchanges may be made in size, proportion and minor details ofconstruction as fall within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting from, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, part of the carriage beingbroken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the track showing the manner ofmounting the trips and a means for actuating the same. I

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the carriage, parts being broken away to showthe position of the pivoted catch and its actuating levers.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the pivoted catch, parts being broken away toshow the actuating means for the pivoted lip. Like reference numeralsare used to designate corresponding parts throughout.

Referring more particularly to the embodiment of my inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a suitable trackwhich may be supported by the upright standards 2, as shown in Fig. 1,or by overhead hangers (not shown), but provisions for which have beenprovided as will be hereinafter explained.

At various points on the underside of the track 1 are mounted aplurality of trips 3, said trips being positioned at the points where itmay be desired to drop the load being carried by the conveyer. The trips3 may be secured to the track 1 by yokes 4, said yokes providing bearingsurfaces for a pintle 5, upon which the trip 3 is rotatably mounted. Atthe positions desired to mount said trips 3, the track 1 is recessed asat 6, said recess having a preferably cylindrical hole 7 communicatingwith the upper side of the track 1, as shown in Fig. 2. The trip 3 isprovided with an eye or staple 8 secured to its upper face 9, saidstaple or eye simultaneously providing re taining means for a resilientmember 10, and means for fastening a rod 11 to said trip 3, the purposeof said rod to be hereinafter explained. The resilient member throughits engagement with the upper face 12 of the recess 6 retains the trip 3in proper position relative to the underside of track 1.

The rod 11 is provided at its upper end with an eye 13, said eyedesigned to receive a cable or rope 14, said cable to be carried by aseries of pulleys or otherwise, to a place within reach of the hoistoperator, whereby the operator may manipulate the trips 3 to drop theload carried by the conveyer at any desired point, said operation to behereinafter fully explained.

The track 1 may be of any suitable form or material designed to receivethe conveyer carriage. The carriage is provided at its upper end with aplurality of wheels or rollers 15, said wheels as shown in the drawingsbeing four in number, but it being understood that I do not limit myselfto this particular number of wheels or rollers. The rollers arepreferably journaled on pintles 16 secured to the opposite sides of thecarriage frame and are spaced apart a suitable distance to permit thepassage between them of the cable 14 and also, if desired, of aplurality of overhead hangers, as hereinbefore referred to.

It will be seen from a comparison of Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing thatthe conveyor carriage is adapted to straddle the track 1. It is composedof two substantially identical frames, which when assembled, as shown inFi 3, have their corresponding edges coinciding and spaced apart topermit the insertion of the track 1 between the same, and also to permitthe latch mechanism to be mounted between the same. The frames areprovided with a plurality of cross-members 17, 18 and 19, said membersbeing preferably positioned parallel to the plane of centers of thewheels or rollers 15. These cross-members are designed to act incoperation with the members 20 and 21 of the identical frames to retainthe same in substantially rigid position.

Between the lowermost cross-members 19 and approximately midway betweenthe members 21 of the identical frames is mounted by means of pintle 22an angular latch 23, the preferred construction of which is shown inFig. 4. The latch 23 is preferably provided with recessed chamber 24 at.

The pivoted latch 23 is provided at one end with a yoke 29 designed toreceive a pintle 30 upon which is 'rotatably mounted a link 31.

Pivotably mounted upon the cross-members 18, by a pintle 32, is abellcrank lever 33, the lower end of said bellcrank lever beingpivotably connected with the upper end of link 31 and rovided with ahelical spring member 34 attached to crossmember 18. It will be seenthat the energy of the helical spring 34 is designed to keep the pivotedlatch '23 in such position that its face 35 is substantiallyperpendicular to the cross-member 19 and the upper arm 36 of thebell-crank lever 33 against the stop 37 mounted upon the cross member18, said stop being so positioned that when theiarm 36 abuts againstsaid stop, said arm will be substantially perpendicular to thecrossmembers 18. The end 36 is so positioned relative to the trips 3that when the "carria-ge is drawn forward by means of cable 46, ashereinafter described, the trips 3 are forced into their respectiverecesses 6, thereby allowing the carriage free passage, but when saidcarriage is drawn in the opposite direction, the trips 3 being held intheir outward position by the resilient members 10, said arm 36 abutsagainst the vertical face o'f'the trips whereby the bell-crank lever 33is rotated upon its pintle 32, causing'the pivoted latch 23 to berotated on its pintle 22,

as will be hereinafter described, and when said arm 36 has cleared thetrip 3, the bellcra'nk lever 33 will be rotated on its pintle 32 bymeans of the energy of the helical spring 34, thereby causing thepivoted latch 23 to assume its operative position, as shown in Figs. 1and 4. 7

At the lower end of the carriage, and rotatably mounted between themembers 19 and 21 of the identical frames is rotatably mounted a pulley38.

At the opposite end of the cross-members 19, is provided a pintle 39upon which is secured a cable 40. the cable40 is passed around thepulley 41 of the fall 42, thence upward and around pulley 38, and thenceto the drum of a hoist. The fall 42 is provided with means 43 to receivea bucket or other receptacle, not shown, for the purpose of receiving aload, and is provided at its upper end with an From the pintle 39 y edon and between the cross-members 18 opposite the latch 23, whereby thehook-member 44 may be guided into proper engagement with the link 25 ofthe latch.

Between the members 18 and preferably 7 above the pintle 39 is a pintle45 designed to receive a cable 46, said cable designed to extend in aposition substantially parallel to the track 1, and beneath said trackthroughout its entire length, and, by means of pulley 47 and others asmay be needed, to be conveyed to a drum of the hoist hereinbeforementioned. 7

The operation of the device is as follows: The fall 42 is lowered bymeans of the cable 40 and the load applied to the hook 43. The load isthen hoisted by means of the cable 40 until the hook member 44 carriedby the fall 42 engages the lip 25 of the latch 23, it being understoodthat by varying the length of the hook member 44, the height to whichthe load is to be raised, prior to its travel, may be varied. Upon theengagement of the hook-member 44 with the pivoted lip 25 of the latch23, the pivoted lip 25 is forced into the chamber 24 by means of thesliding engagement of the inclined face 48 of the hook 44, and theinclined face 49 of the pivoted lip 25. Upon being forced into thechamber 24, the pivoted lip 25 by reason of the position of pintle 26 isprovided with potential energy suflicient to allow it to resume itsoutward position when the point 50 of the hook member 44 has passed thepoint 51 of the pivoted lip 25, or if said lip 25 is provided withresilient means 27 as shown in Fig. 4, the energy of said resilientmeans will force the lip 25 into its outward position whereupon theelevating motion of the load is stopped andthe load allowed to sinkuntil the surface 52 of the hook 44 engages the surface 53 of thepivoted lip 25, said engagement catching and retaining the load at thisheight.

Force is now applied to the cable 46 by means of the hoist ashereinbefore mentioned, and the cable 40 allowed to pass freely from thedrum upon which it is wound. Upon the application of this force to thecable 46, the carriage and its load move along the track 1, the arm 36of the bell-crank lever 33 engaging successively the trips 3, said tripsbeing forced into their respective recesses 6, and after the passage ofthe carriage being forced into their outward position again by means ofthe resilient members 10.

When the point at which the load is to be dropped is reached, thecarriage is pulled past the trip at this position and then brought backuntil the arm 36 engages the perpendicular face of the trip, therebycausing the pivoted latch 23 to be rotated on its pintle 22 until thelip25 is out of engagement with the hook member 44, whereupon the loadis'free to fall as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. I

I l/Vhen the load has been discharged, the

fall 42 is again hoisted by means of the cable 40 until the hook 44 hasengaged the pivoted lip 25 as hereinbefore described. The cable 46is-then released, the cable 14 is pulled so as to draw the trips 3 intotheir respective recesses 6 and the cable 40 wound on its drum, wherebythe carriage is drawn back to its former position, the arm 36 clearingthe trips 3 in their inward position.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaimis: 1. The combinationwith an overheadtrack, of'a load carrying carriage toride on said track,means thereon to permit the free passage of the carriage in onedirection, but to normally obstruct its passage'in the oppositedirection, and means to manually provide for free passage of thecarriage in both directions.

' 2. The combination with an overhead plurality of rollers carried bythe frames.

to engage the track, means attached to said carriage to receive a load,a plurality of pivoted trips mounted on the track, and a pivoted latchactuated by said trips to retain the load at a predetermined height.

4. A device of the class described comprising a plurality ofsubstantially identical frames retained rigidly in coincidence with eachother but spaced apart, a plurality of cross members mounted on saidframes, a spring actuated latch pivotally mounted upon and between saidcross members, means mounted on one cross member to cooperate with thespring actuated latch and retain it in operative position and aplurality of pivoted trips carried by the track to cause the latch to beactuated.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a traveling carriage forelevated conveyers, a fall carried by said carriage, means on said fallto receive a load, an upright hook member carried by said fall and alatch on the carriage provided with a pivoted lip to engage said hookmember to catch and retain the fall and its load at a predeterminedheight.

6. In combination with a traveling carriage for elevated conveyers,means to suspend a load therefrom, a latch mechanism comprising aplurality of spring actuated levers and an angular latch provided With aspring actuated retaining lip to retain and release the load Withrespect to the carriage.

7. In combination With a traveling carriage for elevated conveyors, afall, an upright hook member carried by said fall, a spring actuatedlatch pivotally mounted above said fallto engage said hook member, asystem of levers pivotally attached to said latch to move the latch intoand out of operative engagement With the hook-mem ber, a helical springto retain said latch in its operative position, and meansto bring saidhook member into engagement With the latch.

8. A device of the class described comprising a traveling carriage forelevated conveyers, a fall carried by said carriage,

means on said fall to receive a load, an upright hook member carried bysaid fall, a

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spring actuatedlatch pivotally mounted on said carriage above said fall,a gravity actuated lip pivotally mounted Within said latch to engage andretain the hook carried by the fall, and a system of spring actuatedlevers carried by the carriage and attached to the latch to rotatesaidlatch on its pivot, thereby releasing the fall from engagement withthe lip of the latch.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of an overheadtrack, a travel" ing carriage suspended therefrom, a fall carried bysaid carriage,-means carried by said fall to receive aload, an uprighthook member carried by said fall, a latch pivotally mounted on saidcarriage above the fall, a lip pivotally mounted Within said latch, asystem of levers attached to said latch and carried by said carriage,cooperative means to retain the lever and latch inoperative position, aplurality of trips mounted 'on the track to engage one of said levers toactuate the pivoted latch, and means to bring said hook member intoengagement with the pivoted lip of the latch.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

CHARLES E. YARIAN.

Washington, D. G.

